On Saturday 8th February 2020 Manchester Feminist Network, Lancashire Resisters, Make More Noise organised a performance of the Chilean flash mob ‘Rapist in Your Path.’ We were joined by women from all over the north west, women came as individuals or as representatives from various women’s organisations, including Trafford Rape Crisis.
Women met at our regular meeting place, The Friend’s Meeting House, where we hired the largest room available. Our patient choreographers took us through the moves and lyrics until we were word perfect and dancing in sync. It’s no mean feat to get 50 women to learn a 10 verse song with corresponding dance moves in just over an hour. All credit and thanks goes to ‘K’ and ‘S’ for your clear instruction and for calming our nerves!
According to crime recording 1,538 women & girls a week are raped but most do not report at all.
Our esteemed choreographers.
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- Conviction rate for rape is a shocking 3%
Practice complete, more banners and women appeared and we made our way to Emmaline, in a procession.
Emmeline Pankhurst Statue
Wearing blindfolds and purple and green – the colours of the suffragette movement, we performed the flash mob three times. We received enthusiastic support from the public, who were present, some of them joined us. The video has since been viewed thousands of times on multiple social media platforms, in fact 13 000 times on twitter alone. During our performance, women gave out leaflets providing information on rape and the justice system. The leaflet also listed organisations and helplines. For info. see bottom of this article.
Special thanks goes out to the man who read about our protest plans on twitter and came over to lend his support as well as a generous £60 donation. We’ve since donated it to Trafford Rape Crisis who will put it to excellent use.
We wrote about the reasons why we were performing our flash mob, in our last blog.You can read more about what has been happening locally and nationally there.
If you are considering putting together a flash mob in your city or town, feel free to contact us for advice – manchesterfeministnetwork@riseup.net. The feeling of sisterhood and solidarity from coming together for a shared task is incredibly inspiring. No flash mob will bring an end to violence against women and girls, but every time we speak out, women will see they are not alone, that there is support available and that women are angry and determined to hold the system and power structures to account.
And The Rapist Is You!
The patriarchy is a judge
that judges us for being born
and the punishment we get
is the violence you don’t see
The patriarchy is a judge
that judges us for being born
and the punishment we get
is the violence that WE see
It’s femicide
It’s prostitution
Domestic Violence
Violation
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the rapist is you
And the rapist is you
It’s the cops
The judges
The State
The council
El estado opresor es un macho violador
El estado opresor es un macho violador
And the rapist is you
And the rapist is you
Working Class girls in care
Groomed and abused
How is it that we see
the same excuses being used?
And the rapist is you!
And the rapist is you!
And the rapist is you!
And the rapist is you!
Helplines: Trafford Rape Crisis 0800 783 4608, Manchester Rape Crisis 0161 273 4500, Independent Choices 0161 636 7525, St Marys Sexual Assault Referral Centre 0161 276 6515